Fruits Basket Episode 28: The Monkey Returns
by SkiesAbove
Summary: It's Ri! He's back! And so is Skye! But Ri seems odd...He's taken a turn for the worse, it seems. The Sohma family deals with not only Ri's problems, but their own desires and secrets that they hide... A bit darker than the last episode


_Author's Note: Hello again! This is the second episode I've made, in regards to the beloved Fruits Basket. Once again, treat it like a REAL episode. Feel free to insert music or silly faces made by the characters in order to complete the reality of it all. Enjoy _

I was so happy when you smiled

Your smile breaks through the clouds of grey

Far from the sunny days that lie in sleep

Waiting with patience for the spring

When the flowers will bloom renewed again

Knowing there's more beyond the pain of today

Although the scars of yesterday remain

You can keep on living as much as your heart believes

You can't be born again

All though you can change

Let's stay together always

"_Hi! I'm Tohru Honda! I'm a 16-year old girl who lives with the Sohmas, a family that has a curse that makes them turn into animals of the zodiac whenever they are hugged by someone of the opposite sex, or under a lot of stress. My mom died in a car accident at the beginning of the school year, which is why I am living with the Sohmas. I met Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure, and they helped me meet Kisa, Momiji, Hatori, Ayame, Hatsuharu, Hiro, Kagura, Ritsu, Akito, and Skye. Akito is the head of the Sohma family. I just found out that Skye is Akito's sister! I sure hope she got to meet her brother all right, even if he is mean…"_

"Tohru!" Momiji called, running up to a surprised young girl.

It was Momiji Sohma, spotting Tohru as he was out shopping with Hatori. The excited boy hugged Tohru Honda lovingly around her waist. Tohru bent down and hugged him back.

"Momiji!" Tohru exclaimed, "I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Hatori wanted to buy me new clothes," Momiji explained, "I ripped a hole in my dress at school!"

"Momiji," said a low voice behind Tohru, "Mabye we should start buying you boy clothes from now on."

The voice belonged to Hatori Sohma, doctor to the Sohma family and fellow Zodiac member. The tall man looked down on the two friends with a caring but stern gaze.

"Mabye just one," Momiji replied, pouting, "But everyone knows I look way better in girl's clothes!"

Tohru smiled. Momiji had worn female clothing ever since she had met him. She was sure the stubborn boy wouldn't agree to stop now.

"Tohru! I found some fruits, are these the ones you-" Kyo began to say, stepping out of a nearby shop. "Oh, crap. Not you two."

Almost if on cue, Momiji ran up to Kyo and hugged him tightly as he had done with Tohru.

"Kyo!" he said, smiling, "I didn't know you were here, too!"

Kyo tried his best to get the fidgeting Momiji off his legs, but with no success.

"Get off me, you little brat!" Kyo snarled.

"Waah!" Momiji pretended to cry, " Kyo's hurting me!"

"I didn't expect to see Kyo here helping you," Hatori said quietly to Tohru as Momiji and Kyo wailed, "I've never known him to help out before."

"He wanted to come," Tohru replied, smiling, "He wanted to help carry the groceries back home."

"Home," Hatori murmured, lost in thought…

Suddenly Tohru spotted a familiar person near the clothing store. He had long, auburn hair tied into a curious bow at the back, a timid but gentle face, and was wearing what appeared to be a kimono…

"Ritsu!" Tohru said aloud. The man from afar heard almost instantly his own name. He looked up questioningly from the sales rack.

"What the hell…?" Kyo said, turning his attention way from Momiji.

All four followed Tohru to where Ritsu was, examining the selection of clothes for the fall. To the back, a pair of arrogant teenagers was watching Ritsu.

"What do you think of her?" one said to the other.

"I think she's pretty hot," the other replied.

"I'm gonna get her phone number before we leave," the first declared triumphantly.

"Ritsu! I'm so glad we got to meet you here!" Tohru said, running to him.

"Why the hell are you wearing a dress?" Kyo asked rudely.

"I. I got into a fight with my parents, and…well…" Ritsu whispered.

"It's ok," Tohru said, putting her arm on his shoulder, "We understand."

"Do you have anything else you can put on, Ritsu?" Hatori asked politely.

Ritsu ripped off the kimono to reveal very handsome men's clothes underneath. The teen that was about to ask for his number stared in disbelief and then horror at the real man standing before him. Him and his friend both took off running.

"Let's get you home," Tohru said.

Shigure and Yuki were busy playing a game of Sevens when they heard a knock on the front door.

"That must be Tohru and Kyo back with the groceries," Yuki said, rising to get the door. When he opened it, though, he found much more than just Kyo and Tohru there. A very glum Ristu had accompanied them home.

"Why is he here?" Yuki asked suspiciously.

"We found him at the market," Kyo replied stubbornly.

"And I think he needs some help," Tohru added. Her eyes were full of pleading for Ritsu, and Yuki clearly had to let him in.

"Ah, Ritsu!" Shigure said happily when he saw the poor soul, "How nice of you to join us for dinner!"

"We found him at the marketplace dressed like a girl again," Kyo said, annoyed, "and he is NOT staying for dinner!"

"Can't he?" Tohru asked, "It looks like he's had it pretty rough."

"Pretty rough my-" began Kyo.

"Kyo, why don't we let him stay? Poor Ritsu. You look tired." Shigure said gingerly.

"I am…kind of hungry," Ritsu murmered as his stomach growled in agreement.

"I think I'll make Oyako-donburi!" Tohru said brightly, "Does that sound good to everybody?"

"I think it sounds wonderful, Miss Honda," Yuki replied.

Tohru set out to work on dinner for the four hungry Sohmas. Ritsu sat quietly and somewhat sadly at one end of the table, while Shigure, Kyo, and Yuki sat at the other end. Yuki and Kyo forgot their usual aggression towards each other as they stayed as far as possible from the unpredictable Ritsu. It seemed only minutes before Tohru cut through the silence, proclaiming, "Dinner's ready!"

Yuki helped her serve while the other three merely stared at each other. There was uneasiness around the room. No one but Tohru dared speak to Ritsu; all afraid he'd freak out again and run around the room, begging for forgiveness. Ritsu tended to be hard on himself about pleasing others, and others tended to stay away from him for it.

"Thank you Tohru," Shigure said gratefully, "It looks delicious."

"I hope you like it," Tohru responded happily, "This is my first time making it. I got the ingredients from Ayame."

At once Yuki and Kyo stopped eating. They both looked into their plates, as if Ayame were there, staring back at them. Both were forcing themselves to keep eating, but the thought of them eating food made by Ayame disgusted them. Fortunately, no one else seemed to notice.

There was a sharp knock at the door. It made everyone jump and nearly spill his or her food.

"Who would be knocking at this hour!" Kyo demanded angrily. He was grateful, though, by being spared the nightmare that was Ayame.

Tohru excused herself and ran to get the door. A young girl was there, apparently weathered and very grateful she found shelter. She had long, dark hair, kind eyes, and travel-ridden clothes. It was Skye.

"Hi Tohru," she gasped.

"Skye!" Tohru exclaimed, hugging the lost Sohma. Skye returned the hug, tears welling up in her eyes. She fought them back as she looked at Tohru.

"I'm so sorry if I interrupted anything," Skye said apologetically.

"No, no, we were just eating dinner," Tohru replied, suddenly motherly, "Come in and eat something. You look hungry."

"I am." Skye said, relieved.

Tohru led Skye into the living room. Shigure, Kyo, and Yuki all gasped in surprise. Ritsu looked up curiously.

"Hi," Skye greeted, "I returned like I promised."

"Welcome back," Shigure said. Skye blushed.

Yuki and Kyo just smiled to show their thankfulness. Skye returned it, and she, too looked at Ritsu curiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry Skye," Tohru said, "This is Ritsu, a part of the Sohma family."

Skye was about to shake Ristu's hand when he jumped up suddenly.

"I'm so sorry, how rude of me to not introduce myself to a complete stranger!" He said frantically, "I'm so rude! Why could I forget something as simple as that?" He was even more frantic now. "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! SO SORRY!"

Ritsu ran like a maniac out of the room. Skye looked frightened and confused. Yuki and Kyo sighed. Shigure got up and followed Ritsu. Tohru decided to come, too.

"I'M SORRY!" Ritsu screamed. Shigure calmly walked up to him and poked him in the stomach. Suprisingly, Ritsu sank to the ground without a word. Tohru bent down over the body of Ritsu. Skye ran in and gasped at the sight.

"It's the magic touch!" Shigure proclaimed.

"What…happened!" Skye asked breathlessly.

"Ritsu is…like that," Tohru explained, "I've tried to get him to have more self-confidence, but it's in his nature to have low self-esteem."

"Poor guy," Skye said, joining Tohru as she bent over Ritsu's body, "Which animal is he?"

"Monkey," Yuki answered, stepping into the room.

"Oh…" Skye whispered. She looked down at Ritsu with a changed impression: the scary guy was actually kind and gentle inside…

Ritsu was on the roof again. Tohru and Yuki were sitting outside, looking at the stars as they did every night, and Shigure was writing another one of his romance novels. Kyo was in his room, and Skye wandered around wondering what to do. She figured she should go talk to Ritsu, because it looked like Kyo would kill her if she dared to enter his room, and everyone else was busy. Skye crept downstairs, trying not to make a sound as she went. Then she searched the house for the ladder Ritsu had used to climb to the roof. She found it after going around the house once. She was almost caught by Yuki, but she managed to draw his attention away by throwing a stick in some bushes. Skye climbed very slowly up the tiny ladder to the roof of Shigure's house. She spotted Ritsu right away. His auburn hair glittered in the moonlight and shone like a beacon through the darkness. He was crouched in an awkward position at the very tip of the rooftop, and it seemed like he was muttering something to himself. Skye decided to watch him for a while. She didn't want to scare him, especially if he was going to freak out again. Ritsu finished his whispered monologue and stood up straight. He appeared to hold a rope and a long nail. Skye's brain formulated a reason for this, and she watched in horror as Ritsu tied the rope around his neck and hammered the nail into the rooftop. Luckily, no one heard a loud hammering noise coming from above, or they would have seen Ritsu about to hang himself on Shigure's rooftop. Before Ritsu could make the jump that would end his life, Skye screamed and tackled him before he could do so. Ritsu stumbled and fell to the side of the roof carrying Skye with him. Skye whipped around her head and noticed Ritsu choking. _The rope!_ She thought. The rope still clung tightly to Ritsu's neck and held him in a hangman's grip. Skye jumped up and pulled the nail out with all her might. It came out, and the force made Skye tumble backwards. Ritsu and Skye only had enough time to grab the edge of the house before they fell off the roof. Ritsu whimpered.

"HELP!" Skye screamed. Kyo's window was right below her. Kyo poked his head out of the window, and saw Ritsu and Skye barely hanging on the edge of the roof. He panicked, and tried to grab Skye by her feet. Tohru and Yuki came running to Ritsu's aid. One look at his dangling body and they both were making a human net to try and catch him. Ritsu eventually fell, his monkey reflexes failing him, and toppled on top of Tohru and Yuki. Skye was still screaming and kicking Kyo as he tried to grab her. Finally, with renewed anger, Kyo grabbed Skye forcefully and whipped her inside the room. They both crashed on Kyo's bed. Shigure came in panting, "What was that loud noise?"

Skye answered him quickly, "Ritsu tried to kill himself, I stopped him, and we both fell off the roof."

"Oh my goodness!" Shigure gasped, and ran downstairs.

Skye and Kyo were left to awkwardly untangle from one another. Kyo noticed his bed was messed up now. He turned furiously to Skye, as if to shout at her some more. His anger cooled quickly, though, when he saw the cut on her arm.

"What the hell happened?" Kyo asked wildly.

"I think I cut myself while trying to pull out the nail on the roof," Skye answered. The cut was not deep, but it was oozing blood and it looked painful. Skye fought back tears once more. She didn't want Kyo to think she was weak.

"I'll call Hatori," Kyo said, "He can be over here real quick."

"Okay," Skye whispered. She knew cuts from nails could give you Tetanus.

Tohru and Yuki helped a shaken Ritsu into Kyo's bedroom. Tohru let out a little cry when she saw Skye's cut.

"It's okay," Skye said hurriedly, "Kyo's calling Hatori." Even though Skye had never met the man, she felt confidence in him already.

Yuki tried to get Ritsu to tell them exactly why he was commiting suicide on their roof, but Ritsu only looked at him and shook his head. Hatori eventually came knocking at the door. Shigure answered him in a hurry, talking madly to him even though he barely listened. Hatori, being a quiet and peaceful man, did not speak much during his visit. Skye introduced herself, and he just nodded in response. He found that Skye was very talkative throughout the whole procedure.

"Thank you, Hatori," Shigure said gratefully, "Thanks for coming out of your busy schedule to help Skye." Shigure hadn't bothered mentioning Ritsu's near death experience.

"No problem at all," Hatori answered, "Very nice to meet you, Skye." He nodded in turn to everyone, and then took off.

Now that he had left, there was once again uneasiness. No one dared talk to Ritsu, and no one felt like talking after all the commotion.

In unison, all went in their separate ways.

_Poor Ritsu,_ thought Tohru later, _it seems like he doesn't feel right anywhere…_

She was looking out her window at the stars, as she so often did these days. Ritsu was rooming with Skye, since the other rooms were taken by the house's residents. Kyo and Yuki had taken off to their beds. Shigure was still trying to calm down in his own room. Tohru didn't know what to do. She had only seen this side of Ritsu before, when he tried to jump off the roof. She had managed to stop him from doing it, but this time she hadn't. She wasn't there to comfort him or calm him. She had neglected him, like everyone else so often did. Tohru couldn't help but feel responsible for Ritsu tonight.

Skye couldn't sleep. The events of tonight were just so mortifying that it scared her memory. She couldn't understand why such a gentle person would want to end their life, especially in such a gruesome way. Skye had never before witnessed death firsthand, and she wished never to. Ritsu was curled up in a ball in the far side of the room. He hadn't spoken since they met. Skye rolled over so she faced him. Never before had she seen someone so broken.

"I'm really sorry," Ritsu suddenly whispered. It surprised Skye.

"You don't have to be," she said softly.

"No, I am," Ritsu replied. It sounded like he was crying. "I always cause so much unhappiness when I'm around. I feel like I should just die and rid the world of my stupidity. I don't deserve to live."

Skye couldn't hold it in any longer. She cried softly into her pillow.

"See?" Ritsu whimpered, "Even when I just met you, I caused you grief."

"I've been holding it in, Ritsu," Skye murmured, wiping her eyes, "Did you know Akito's my brother? I went to go see him for the first time in years yesterday, and he beat me. He denied ever being my brother. Do you know how that feels? When someone you love suddenly rejects you? I didn't want to tell Tohru. She's so innocent and sweet. Something like this would break her heart. And this cut…it hurt so bad, but I didn't want to cry in front of Kyo because he would think I'm weak."

Skye cried so profusouly now that Ritsu turned over and began to rub her back. Skye looked at him. She nervously wiped her eyes. Ritsu noticed how beautiful her eyes were in the moonlight…

"Everything will be alright," Ritsu whispered, "I promise my life is as precious as anyone else's. I will never try to take my own life again."

"Thank you," Skye replied, smiling.

Yuki woke up to the bright light streaming through his window. He only had to listen to learn that everyone was already eating breakfast without him. He groaned and pulled on some clothes that were sitting on the desk in the corner of his room. Yuki walked silently down the stairs. He heard breathing behind the corner, as if someone was trying to hide themselves. Yuki knew too well who could be behind that corner. Quickly, he flipped over to face the attacker, hit him in the stomach, and walked away.

"Damn…rat…" Kyo breathed before collapsing.

Yuki smiled to himself, savoring his victory.

Skye and Ritsu looked awkwardly at each other from across the table. Last night was a secret they would rather keep to themselves. Ritsu couldn't help stealing glances at Skye's lovely figure.

Skye wondered if Shigure would join them for breakfast. Something about the silly adult intrigued her. He was always so nice to her, when the other two had been only distant. Shigure was…different.

Kyo glanced at Skye. She had only caused him trouble since she came, but strangely, he hadn't minded much. He didn't get mad at her like he did to everyone else. She was like Tohru: he couldn't get mad her.

Yuki smiled to Tohru. She was really pretty today. He loved the way they named stars last night, before Ritsu decided to kill the evening. He just wished he could tell her how he felt.

"Oh no!" Tohru said suddenly. Everyone looked up from their plates. "I forgot my homework for English in my locker."

"I'm sure Shigure can get it for you, Miss Honda," Yuki replied brightly.

"Yeah, he can't be doing anything more important," Kyo added.

Tohru nodded and went to go ask Shigure her favor. He was outside flying a kite.

"Shigure?" Tohru asked, "I left some homework in my locker at school, and I was wondering if you could pick it up for me…If you don't want to, that's ok, because I'm sure I could manage without it…"

Shigure turned around to face Tohru. "Of course, Tohru!" he agreed.

Tohru smiled thankfully and handed him her locker combination. Shigure was gone in a heartbeat.

_High school girls! High school girls! _He thought happily to himself. _1 2 3 High school girls!_

Pleasant Supper, now, let's gather around.

Look to this day's tears to bring tomorrow's strength.

La La La, A wonderful feeling, Love and Life

La La La, loveable, Love and Life

To the day that was given our best,

Along with a 'goodbye' and 'thank you'

Let's end it smiling,

That is my small prayer.

When the spring flowers bloom,

And the greenery sprouts,

Look, some of the tears

Are floating away on the wind!

La La La, A wonderful feeling, Love and Life

La La La, loveable, Love and Life


End file.
